Military Mission

Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) is an active duty and reserve Air Force installation with three primary missions: testing and deployment of all air delivered weapons, special operations training, and Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Initial Joint Training. The reservation is located in the Florida Panhandle on the Gulf of Mexico and surrounded by Okaloosa, Walton and Santa Rosa Counties, and ten municipalities. The reservation encompasses 453,594 acres (453,460 Department of Defense-owned), including a main airfield cantonment area, Hurlburt and Duke Airfields, an Army 7th Special Forces Group training site, land assault zones, and an active live fire test range.

Joint Land Use Study Planning Process

The Air Force nominated Eglin AFB as a candidate for the Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) program in September 2005 in response to urban growth moving toward the Eglin reservation. New residential development north of the reservation near the City of Crestview may impact JSF use of Duke Field and development northeast of Eglin Airfield is increasing in height and density within the Clear Zone (CZ), Accident Potential Zone (APZ) 1 and APZ 2. This urban residential encroachment, along with associated support structures, will continue and is likely to impair the operational utility of the installation.

The JLUS is expected to guide the three counties and ten municipalities in their efforts to support compatible civilian development, while not limiting economic development. The participating jurisdictions signed resolutions indicating their good faith efforts to support the JLUS and to implement the study recommendations.

Implementation Strategy

Completed in June 2009, the JLUS includes recommended actions and strategies to enhance compatible use. One of the highest priority JLUS recommendations is completion of a Small Area Study for a large land mass immediately under the low-level flight corridors, cruise missile corridors, and within one mile of Eglin’s land boundary in northern Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton Counties, as well as an area in western Walton County. The Small Area Study will result in the identification of land uses and specific tools prepared for each affected jurisdiction that are supported by property owners, local jurisdictions, agencies, and Eglin AFB. The study will include recommended amendments to future land uses and zoning maps, comprehensive plans, zoning codes, and other regulatory changes. The Small Area Study will be completed in October 2012.

In November 2010, the JLUS Policy Committee merged with the Eglin Installation Growth Committee. Through an inter-local Agreement, the participating jurisdictions ratified the creation, membership, and operation of the "Northwest Florida Military Sustainability Partnership." The "Partnership" combines the members of the JLUS and growth management committees, totaling 22 members from the 13 jurisdictions that participated in the JLUS and Growth Management Plan. The purpose of the partnership is to adopt JLUS recommendations and form a strategy for implementing the recommendations. An overview of some of the other JLUS recommendations includes the following:

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